Director, writer and film producer John Boorman is to be honoured for his contribution to the State’s film industry at next months Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs).
Boorman (77) - who directed Deliverance, Point Blank and Excalibur - will receive a lifetime achievement award at the ceremony in Dublin on February 20th.
A former chairman of the Irish Film Board and chairman of Ardmore Studios in Bray Co Wicklow, he has resided here for more than 40 years.
Minister of State Martin Manseragh, speaking on behalf of the injured Minister for Arts Martin Cullen, said Boorman was a deserved recipient of the award who had played a pivotal road in the early development of Ireland’s film industry.
A total of 37 IFTA award will be up for grabs on the night in categories spanning film and television. Among the nominees are directors Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan, actors Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Gabriel Byrne and actresses Saoirse Ronan and Elaine Cassidy.
Jordan's Ondine, Paul Young's The Secret of Kells and Seamus Byrne's Eamon are among the nominees for best Irish film, while The Tudors, Pure Mule - which are both up for seven awards in total - and The Clinic are among the nominees for best television drama.
Nominees in the best international actor section include Sam Rockwell (Moon), Vincent Cassel (Mesrine) and Robert Downey Jnr (Sherlock Holmes), while Avatar, Up, Let the Right One In and The Hurt Locker will battle it out for best international film.
“It’s a tremendous line-up of strong, diverse Irish production for IFTA 2010,” IFTA chief executive Aine Moriarty said. “The nominees’ showcase of work reinforces the fact that Ireland has a superb resource of creative talent, despite the difficult economic year.”
A full list of IFTA nominees is available from www.ifta.ie.
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